BENGALURU: The energy department has received 39,599 applications for smart meters. Each smart meter costs Rs 4,998. In all, 6,174 smart meters have been activated (till April 28). A senior Bescom official said distribution of single-phase smart meters started on February 15 following Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (KERC) order.
According to Bescom, 15,569 smart meters have been purchased by consumers and work is on to install 13,871 of them. Software link has been provided for 6,289 meters. In all, 65 applications have been rejected and power supply to 115 meters has been stopped due to non-payment of bills.
The official said smart meters are being provided to those who have applied for new and those having temporary connections in Bescom limits only due to logistical and technical issues. Once the software is streamlined, smart meters will be provided to consumers across the state.
Bescom officials admitted that not many consumers are applying for smart meters because of financial constraints and stringent regulations introduced by the state government such as making occupancy certificates mandatory for new power connections. The process of operating smart meters is slow because the main server and meter software have to be linked.